A Letter Written on Jan 26, 1908

South Hadley, Mass.,
Jan. 26, 1908.

Dear Sister:-

I was going to write to Auntie as I believe it is her turn to have a letter but I got it started to you before I thought. It is between church and dinner time and I am writing now so you will be sure of a letter. I am going to bed directly after dinner and if I want to stay there until to-morrow morning I am going. Everybody is terribly tired and I don't see as I am much more tired than the other[s] though I feel fully as limp as I wish I did. But don't worry for I am eating more than I did at home and while I am tired, I feel don't feel badly otherwise. My throat is about the same.

The things arrived safely last night. Thank you very much for sending them. The collars look fine but I haven't had a chance to try them yet.

Yesterday I went to Miss Couch. She said that she felt terribly when she heard I was sick for she had bee me down for the preliminaries for the grand speaking exhibition. Each girl has to practise ten minutes daily on the exercises but she excused me from every thing of that sort until after semesters are over. She wouldn't even let me stay my time yesterday. The Faculty are the most considerate beings I ever ran across.

I told you, didn't I, of the sad event that happened while I was away - the death of one of Miss Smith's spruce trees? Margaret E. told em yesterday to wear black last night so I borrowed Caroline's choir dress. The girls said that it couldn't have fitted me better if it had been made for me. By good fortune Miss Smith wore black. We marched in, two by two, Margaret & Mabel Haskell going first bearing on a black box cover or something of the sort a tiny black box, about the size of a pill box, upside down so that a piece of stiff white paper could be stuck in to represent a tomb-stone. On it was written the date of the birth & death of the tree, and a verse which no one has remembered. It began like this - "Scorned & neglected in life". The girls at the other tables thought we didn't look very sad. Lida went to H- in the P.M. and didn't get back until 6:30. She was tired and is about sick with a cold so when she came in the girls thought she had the proper mournful look. We had a fine time though it was such a sad occasion & I guessed we all "wished ourselves back". We must have looked funny to the others. Once when we were serving the four Freshmen at the table filed in right to-gether[.]

After dinner I was going to study though I was so tired I didn't know anything. Finally, Elizabeth, Louise Hanson & I did review Latin to-gether. We were all so tired that we were silly so it isn't surprising that we didn't get an awful lot done but still we got along fairly well. About 9:30 we were invited out into the corridor to an impromptu vaudeville. Caroline's sisters is here so I guess it was in here honor. Margaret was usher. She had on her gym-suit & had her hair on top of her head. She looked awfully cute. Ruth Furber & Louise Wadhams were men. The first number was a melodrama. Ruth was supposed to be in love with Grace Cooley. Louise was also. The houise [sic] caught fire & the hose & fire buckets were pressed into use. That The occupants of the house were dragged out by the brave men. That scene was thrilling. Then Ruth & Louise played a game of golf. Caroline, Grace's mother, said that who ever won should have her daughter. But they both won. Then in the struggle which followed all were killed. Naturally that was the end. There was a cake walk & several songs & recitations.

Then Caroline, Grace & Ruth each with some musical instrument played & sang "Whistling Rufus" & "Fare thee well for I must leave you". each one on a different key & singing different words at different times. When it came to the place "I'll hang my harp on a weeping willow tree," Grace wept & Ruth hung her violin on the thing where the hose is kept. A scene in the Vanderbuilt (How under the sun do you spell that word?) dining-room was true to life? Four sat down to a little bamboo foot-stool on which was placed a college cracker apiece. The gentlemen fed the ladies. They drank water out of a chafing dish and finally out of a fire pail. At the end all the ferns in the corridor were used that we might present the performers with flowers. The cheering attracted the girls from below so we had quite an audience. After ten and after the procter [sic] had got back into her room Margaret & Louise Wadhams tried to turn somersets in the hall but both were unsuccessful.

I have changed the my photo graphs all around since I came back. I have you folks, Carl & Russel, Gladys, Arthur & the house on my chiffon and Shortie, Bessie, Ed, Carrie, Roger, Dwight, Ruth & Dorothy on top of my desk & Helen & Linnie down below. Dorothy went into the frame beautifully. I am going to put that picture Bessie gave me up over my desk & perhaps hang Elsa's calendar from the bottom of it. I have tied the calendar that Grace gave me on the knot of the little drawer in my desk so it is real handy.

Did I write you that the spring vacation begins March 24th? Someone said that it did not include Easter Sunday.

I am glad Uncle feels like going out of doors. How are they at Cousin Lizzie's? Do they expect Mrs. Wheeler is going to be all right? I am taking it for granted that you are teaching still & are going up to Grandma's so I shall not write to them this week at any rate. Give my love to them. "Willie" didn't invite Auntie up to see his fox skins did he? How does school go? My ideas are completely exhausted so I will close.

With lots of love to you all,
From,
Mary.